It is well known to suspend a shower curtain made of sheet material by engaging it with a multiplicity of hangers, also referred to as hooks, sometimes called rings, which wrap at least partly around a horizontal rod or bar running across the opening to a shower enclosure. The hangers are movable along the length of the rod, so the user can slide the curtain horizontally, for access to the enclosure and for bringing the edges of the curtain close to the sides of the enclosure to prevent water from splashing out of the enclosure. It is also well known to have a liner associated with a shower curtain. A liner is a sheet of material that is placed inboard of the primary shower curtain so that it hangs in parallel with the curtain. Often a liner is the water shedding part of the assembly and the curtain presents a decorative appearance. A liner may be removed and separately cleaned or replaced over time. Curtains and liners ordinarily have a series of spaced apart openings along their upper ends, so the openings can be engaged with the ends of a multiplicity of hangers positioned on a curtain rod.
A variety of hangers have been used in the prior art for suspending shower curtains, with and without liners. One kind of hook is called a double hook hanger. The hooks face in opposing directions; during use the hook facing into the shower enclosure carries the liner; the other carries the curtain. In better hangers, the loop of the hanger that rides on the curtain rod has several adjacent wheels that ride on the upper surface of the curtain rod. Harwanko U.S. Pat. Publication 2007/00509004 and Michaelson U.S. Pat. No. D459,201 show examples of double hooks having a plurality of wheels. The wheels are spaced apart along the arc of the loop. In a familiar hanger having the essential shape of a Harwanko hanger, there are two opposing-direction hooks at the end of a vertical shank that runs downwardly from a loop. There is an opening or mouth of the loop, so that the loop can be engaged with a curtain rod. However, having such an opening also means that if the hanger is canted or rotated about the length axis of the rod during use, and the opening moves toward the top of the curtain rod, the hanger may inconveniently come off the rod. Means for addressing that are of interest.
Hangers have been made of metal wire and plastic. Wire hangers have been commercially popular. They have intrinsic lightness of appearance and low material cost. But there can be corrosion problems, particularly where the rollers ride on the loop of the hanger. Generally, it is an aim to reduce the cost of making hangers and have hangers with long life.